The new issue of Cunsumer Reports had a test of most of the major brand batteries. The winner in all but one of the size groups was the Sears Die Hard. Coming in near the end of the pack almost every time was the AC Delco.

The article noted that there are only 3 battery manufacturers. The Die Hard is made by Johnson Controls (also makes Interstate batteries). Delphi makes AC Delco. Can't remember the 3rd manufacturer.

For what it's worth, Johnson Controls also owns the Optima Battery line.

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K.A. Young

67 SS 350
PowerGlide AT
AC, Deluxe Interior

Daily Driver (http://storm.prohosting.com/~youngka/pics.htm)

CU tested an Optima red top in one of the groups. It did not perform any better than the Die Hard and they stated that it probably wasn't worth the increase in price (they paid double the price of a regular battery). However, there are other advantages to an Optima style battery that were not considered in the CU tests.

Great timing! I was going to go out and get a new battery (one that the battery topper will fit on) and was leaning towards the ACdelco, but now Sears it is!

Kevin

I've had something like 6 Optima & 2 Excide sealed batteries. None of them lasted past a year (wouldn't hold a charge). Unless you need to mount your battery sideways or upside down, I definitely wouldn't recommend them---especially considering the price difference.

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David
Camaro - '68 327 Coupe (http://makoshark2.com/djunod/cars/68camaro.htm), '86 Z-28 IROC 305 TPI (http://makoshark2.com/djunod/cars/86iroc.htm)
Corvette - '73 Mako Shark II (http://makoshark2.com/djunod/), '82 Cross-fire (http://makoshark2.com/djunod/cars/82vette.htm), '01 Coupe (http://makoshark2.com/djunod/cars/01vette.htm)

i had an AC Delco 72 month battery that i got 7 years out of- in about 20 different cars. it went with a car i sold last year. i left my radio on once, and the thing went dead in the middle of winter- and froze solid. brought it inside overnight to thaw it out, and put it back in the car. jump started it, and still got 3 years out of it before i last saw it. damn good $80 investment, if you ask me.
i currently have an Exide spiral battery- looks like an optima- in my Nova going on a year now, and have had zero problems. could be the NASCAR sticker they put on it that makes it so awesome, i guess. even left it in the car hooked up over last winter, and started the car without a problem.

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1971 Nova(looks like 69 camaro from underneath!)
355sb, vortec heads, HOT cam,T-10 tranny, 3.70 gears 16X8" IROC wheels. 12" Corvette brakes on the way.
see pics here http://community.webshots.com/user/novaderrik

I use Interstate Batteries in my commercial fleet. I have tried them all and Interstate lasts the longest by far. Of course I am using conventional style, not gel.

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68 convertible

CU is full of it anyways... They constantly rate import cars higher, making up subjective catagories to make up for real data.
I have never, ever had a Delco battery leak, ever. This should be of utmost importance to classic car owners.

yea i didnt understand a word of that but okay

For a sailboat i race on, we use an optima for starting, and two AGM's for house storage, Gel's and AGM's have different charging requirements than regular lead acids...
John

I have to respectfully disagree with the poster that thinks CR/CU is not objective. My experience with them over 30 years, personally and professionally has been different.

While I would agree that not all related data and tests are important for overall ratings and can be drawn to confusing conclusions that a consumer might not understand or ever be concerned with, but I will tell you as a professional engineer I have researched some of the work that they have done and been able to corroborate it exactly. And moreover, alot of their work is corroborated by other international recognised testing sources and labs. They are about the most objective source of information that you can find these days. No they are not perfect.

FWIW and on subject, I will say that I have quit using the AC Delco batteries a few years back when two of them made a mess of my engine compartments....that's plural meaning more than one vehicle.

Since I build streetrods too, I like to use the spiral wound sealed batteries for several reasons. It's not because they are cheap...because they are not. First, they are sealed and smaller. Secondly they can be mounted anywhere and in any attitude. Third, they can be left off a charge and still start the car without trickle charge....which they refer to as "longer shelf life" and forth and most important in close quarters...they do not gas. The overall lifetime rating is still in process....and still going.

Just my take.

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STEVE JACK
ConceptOne Pulleys and Brackets
Northern/Southern Rodder Magazine's "Jack'Stands" author and creator
Techical forum/links at www.inccn.net/techforum.htm (http://www.inccn.net/techforum.htm)

Usually buy the Sears Die-Hard.Just got an Interstate battery and so far it's performed better than the Sears. Don't think I will go back to a Die-Hard.

I have had a Interstate MegaTron in the Camaro since 1998 and having abused it somewhat(lots of cranking after winter breaks)and regular use, the thing has never missed a beat.

I just bought a Sears Gold battery for my 73 Z. It went dead in less that 3 weeks. I don’t believe there is anything wrong with the car. It pegs the cars amp meter when driving (over 40 amps, more like 65 to 70, REALLY). When it’s on the charger, it won’t go any lower than a 4-amp draw. My old battery would draw to 2 amps. I think I just have a bad battery (never properly charged after being filled). Any comments?
Mark (A.K.A. Z28 Mark)

I've had an AC in my 68 for about 4 years, and it's been working fine. My car is usually out of service for months at a time, and only occassionally do I need to give it a little charge to bring it back to life.

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68 Coupe, 350 4-speed
Jim's Camaro Corner (http://www.personal.psu.edu/jxu109/)

I'm honestly not impressed by the optima's-- I have to hook up the battery charger if I'm setting my valves-- otherwise I'm cranking slow by then end of that, and that's only a couple minutes of bumping it over. It does store well, as far as spring start-ups, no problem, but I doubt if I'll buy one again. The car cranked over a lot better with the 950cca interstate battery (which was cheaper to buy), but my truck stole that from the camaro one winter! Also, I had bad luck with 4 sears batteries in 2 different trucks-- leaked acid all over the place. -Dan

Ps- Excide also makes there own-- I've quoted work for them a few years ago.

After 20,000 miles the AC Delco battery in my Grand Prix leaked. It made a king-size mess.

Since I drive a company car I have the opportunity to drive/own both domestic and Japanese cars. Out of the bunch the best was a 1992 Camary. Reliable, roomy, powerful, and at the time stylish. The 1997 Grand Prix, which we bought and my wife drives, is OK. After 80,000 miles it's had three alternators, the A/C pulley fractured, all of the door panel interior skins are delaminating, and the drivers power window regulator died. The Camary had 70,000 when it was turned in and had nothing done to it except tires and brakes.



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The Red Beast http://www.geocities.com/casanoc

What a great cross section going on hear with battery stories. I am a used car manager at a dealership in Atlanta and get to see tons of used batteries and how long they last in general, not about the abuse they take. The factory batteries are good for exactly three years (that is also typically the length of the car's warranty).Imagine that. Interstate batteries seem a little better than the el cheapo's and the Die Hard seems a step up from there. I have had very good luck with Optima batteries. In the jump box we drag around to jump start a dead car the red top Optima lasted 5 years and thats with some pretty good abuse like hooking stuff up backwards, or letting the clamps touch and damn near weld themselves together and letting it go dead and forgetting to plug it back in for a recharge. I have also used the yellow top Optima's in all kind of different personal cars and still have not killed my first one.

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SCOTT
69 RS-SS 396 4-SPEED

I moonlighted a while as a boat mechanic, and got to see lots of batteries. Every single Interstate, sears and exide battery had white fuzz on the terminals. Delcos were rare in boats, so I did not see many of those. Boats are harder on batteries than cars are though.
The Delco in my 96 Tahoe is original, 80k miles, as well as in my 98 Z28, 25k. Both of these cars are well out of warrenty and the original batteries are fine.

WOW- Seems no one is impressed with the Optima. I've had excellent luck with them. Its been in my car a little over two years, driven quite a bit and very reliable. My car has all new grounds, charging system, battery cables, etc. It also has a pretty stout sound system with a Monster Capacitor. I think its a great battery that does'nt leak and performs well. I too am a fan of Interstate products and use them exclusivly on my BMW's. I'd use an Optima but the hold downs don't work.

[This message has been edited by CJ (edited 09-12-2002).]

I bought a used Walmart battery almost 5 years ago and put in my 67 Camaro. I don't know how old it was when I got it but I only paid $10.00 for it. I just replaced a few months ago with another one from Wally World. I only paid $35.00 for the new one. I never had any problems leaks. They have never failed to start my car unless I left the lights on. I thought I had a problem once and found out I needed to replace a battery cable.

If you ask me a battery is like anything else, how long it lasts depends on how you take care of it. They are also like anything else, not everyone is going to be perfect. I always clean the top of my battery off when I wash my car. When doing a tune up and/or oil change I make sure the cables are in good condition and tight. They loosen up and need cleaning and maintance. Your battery takes more abuse than you might think.

Joe

The Optima Red Top I put in my 67 almost 5 years ago is still in there.

I like it for it's non venting and "toughness" since my battery is in a box in the trunk.

I'm a little scared of AC Delco batteries right now. I'm one of those on the long list of '94-'96 (mine's a '96) Impala SS owners who had the dreaded battery leak that really made a mess of the area.
It also happened on my factory new '98 Buick Regal GS.

David

As a manager at autozone I see and deal with battries ever single day and i can say that from experience that by far more than any other battrie the factory battries like your ac delco and motorcraft come back the most as cores. I personaly would never buy one and the only reason that I would ever have one is if the car I bought came with one. They just don't seem to hold up at all. Now and then i do meet people that get lucky and get a good one. IF I were going to buy a battrie for my camaro I would recommend the Durlast Gold it is what I have in my 69 RS right now and after 2 years of service and a winter in the garage it has never failed me. I am not just recommending this battrie because auto zone sells them ... i can say that I see very few ever brought back that are bad. Battries are the most abused things in peopeles cars. I just wish you all could see some of the stuff that is pushed/pulled/drug into my parking lot. People let corossion build up on them and then get ticked when they fail. If taken care of properly any battrie will last a very long time.

In reply to Joe Harrison: Amen, they all build good ones and they all build bad ones. It's the maintanence that counts!! Wes

Maintenance, smaintenance.

I keep my connectors corrosion free, I keep the top & sides of my battery clean, I keep my battery charged. I do not ever give them hugs and kisses.

The high heat & humidity of Georgia plays hell on batteries. Sealed Optima & Excide batteries have consistently had a short (1 year) life for me.

Since moving to GA in '97 I have stuck with AutoCraft batteries from Advanced Auto (other then the experiments with Optima & Excide). They keep all the information in their computer, I can just go and exchange a battery when it dies. These batteries usually last about 2 years.

I have 12 cars, so I have a lot of experience with batteries...

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David
Camaro - '68 327 Coupe (http://makoshark2.com/djunod/cars/68camaro.htm), '86 Z-28 IROC 305 TPI (http://makoshark2.com/djunod/cars/86iroc.htm)
Corvette - '73 Mako Shark II (http://makoshark2.com/djunod/), '82 Cross-fire (http://makoshark2.com/djunod/cars/82vette.htm), '01 Coupe (http://makoshark2.com/djunod/cars/01vette.htm)

[This message has been edited by djunod (edited 09-14-2002).]

Being a mechanic all my life, things mechanical are all I've ever done. If one thing I have learned is that if you think heat is bad, try the cold. Wes

I have two Optima red tops. The one in my Bronco has been there for about 5 or 6 years with no problems. Have not been driving it all that much in the last year and still starts. However, I can tell the amps are low but what can I expect when it sits for months at a time. The other is in my Camaro which has a good (loud) sound system drawing mucho amps. After two years it's holding strong. I am happy with them, haven't let me down yet.

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Joseph

1969 Camaro
404 SB w/ 10.3:1 Eagle 4340 assembly in Dart Little-M block, AFR 210's, Crower #00350 short track solid cam 238/244 @ .050" on a 107 lobe center and .530" lift w/ 1.6 rockers, Holley 750 vac sec, Victor Jr., custom 1.75" headers, Spintech 2.5" exhaust with x-pipe and Sportsman XL mufflers, T-56, CenterForce Dual Friction clutch and billet flywheel, Guldstrand Mod., Landrum 600# front springs and adjustable spacers, Hotchkis 1.125" front bar, Detroit Eaton 175# rear springs, Bilstien shocks.
1971 Ford Bronco
Stock 302, 4" rock crawler suspension lift, 1.5" body lift, NP435 tranny, 4.11 gears, Detroit Locker rear diff., Power-Lock limited slip front diff., 33" BFG MudTerrain tires.

djunod:
UMM....... http://www.camaros.net/forum/smile.gifI got 2 1/2 out of the five years from my used walmart battery in the high heat and humidity in Southern Arknasas. You might want to try a used Walmart Battery. http://www.camaros.net/forum/rolleyes.gif

BTW:
That 82 Vett is great looking car!!

[This message has been edited by Joe Harrison (edited 09-14-2002).]

Dos anyone have experience with the dry cell battery from D.U.I.? It's light weight but I haven't heard any real-world experience.

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Rick Dorion
69 RS Conv,355,Autogear M22,4.10's and I don't worry about stone chips ( yet ).

Looks like to me batteries are a lot like burgers....doesnt matter who made it,you're bound to get a crappy one every now and then.

Bought a black battery from the local Carquest, made somewhere up here. Literally because it was black, and I wanted a black ( but fully sealed)original look. Yeah I couldve painted another one.

Anyway, drive the 67 on a 1300 mile trip. After a 750 mile run, we're hat hte local dragstrip and the car is starting hard. Must have started the thing 6-8 times. Wierd, I bumped back the timing due to bad gas.

Doesnt it flat out die that night in the middle of nowhere. Tunred out it wasnt charging at all due to a shorted wire. That battery ran was almost a year old already ( no trickle charge during winter storage either)and I bascially ran the car for two days straight, including racing, on the battery! ( MSD runs the rat on 9 volts!)

So I have to agree. If its New Castle Battery or Exide or whatever, quality is quality. When the AC Delco in the 98 Blazer died, there was no doubt it was going to be a "no name" but high ampereage replacement from Carquest.

I have a optima blue top, nobody has mentioned the benefits of the deep cyle battery, i have a pretty big stereo system(two huge amps, 8 speakers, 2 subwoofers) electric fan, electric fuel pump, MSD, alarm...) I can leave my stereo playing full blast for a couple of hours and still start the car and drive it away, and it won't need a charge, and i have totally abused it, Electric fan used to get stuck and drain the battery and i used to get it charged at kragen numerous times, They probably never even charged it right and the battery is still perfect 3 years later, it is also nice having the dual posts, for marine and car, so i can hook accesories up to the seperate post.

I always buy my batteries from Price club. My rule is buy the biggest battery that fits and maintain it properly. The last one I bought (1000A/900CCA) ran for about 2 years is my Camaro until the one in the truck died and replaced it with the one from the Camaro. It is still running and healthy. I just bought a new one for the car yestrerday from Price Club for about $60.00. Can't beat it.

In Arkansas Walmart = price club . http://www.camaros.net/forum/rolleyes.gif

I've had 3 Delco batteries (on three different cars) leak from the + terminal within the past 6 months. One was about 8 years old and 2 were about 3 years old. Man is it a pain in the a$$. Paint/metal do not like sulfuric acid!!
Warren
79 T/A,WS6,A3,403
96 T/A,WS6,M6
72 442,W30,A3